Focus on Mesothelioma in Pharmaceutical Company Investor Meeting

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The executive director of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, Mary Hesdorffer, APRN, was featured as a speaker during a Verastem, Inc. investor meeting to bring attention to mesothelioma and the need for clinical trials to advance and to increase the number therapeutic options for mesothelioma patients.

keeping patients healthier for longer periods of time, improving their quality of life, and keeping them in good shape, positions them as good candidates for major breakthroughs that might develop in the future

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On July 10, during the research and development portion of the Verastem, Inc.’s investor meeting, Mary Hesdorffer, APRN, the executive director of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation), was a featured speaker. In her talk, Ms. Hesdorffer focused on the need for clinical trials to increase the number of viable therapeutic options for mesothelioma.

According to their website, Verastem, Inc. is a “clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are an underlying cause of tumor recurrence and metastasis.”

“When we look at the mesothelioma patient, we have one regimen, pemetrexed and cisplatin, approved in 2003,” said Ms. Hesdorffer. “40% of the patients were found to respond to the treatment, but unfortunately, it’s not a durable response,” she added.

Ms. Hesdorffer continued her speech by focusing on the need to do more for mesothelioma patients to increase time to relapse or even to delay relapse indefinitely. She argues that keeping patients healthier for longer periods of time, improving their quality of life, and keeping them in good shape, positions them as good candidates for major breakthroughs that might develop in the future.

Mary Hesdorffer, MS, APRN-BC, is an expert nurse practitioner with over 16 years of experience in mesothelioma treatment. She is an expert in clinical trials for mesothelioma and her work has been published in a variety of scientific journals. She has spoken about mesothelioma, clinical trials, and the dire need for life-saving mesothelioma treatments to the US Congress and the UK Parliament, as well as many seminars and conferences, including the World Conference on Lung Cancer, where in 2015 she will be the program chair of the Nursing and Allied Health section.

Mesothelioma is a malignant tumor of the lining of the lung, abdomen, or heart known to be caused by exposure to asbestos. Medical experts consider it one of the most aggressive and deadly of all cancers. An estimated one-third of those who develop mesothelioma were exposed while serving in the Navy or working in shipyards.

ABOUT THE MESOTHELIOMA APPLIED RESEARCH FOUNDATION
The Meso Foundation is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating mesothelioma and easing the suffering caused by this cancer. The Meso Foundation actively seeks philanthropic support to fund peer-reviewed mesothelioma research; provide patient support services and education; and advocate Congress for increased federal funding for mesothelioma research. The Meso Foundation is the only non-government funder of peer reviewed scientific research to establish effective treatments for mesothelioma and, ultimately, a cure for this extremely aggressive cancer. To date, the Foundation has awarded over $8.7 million to research. More information is available at http://www.curemeso.org.
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